You Failed At Predicting The Results Of Removing the Diablo III Auction House If

Fail Day! Yes here are here on yet another day where we get to be jerks talking about others failures. Something you may or may not be aware of 3 years ago almost to the day was when Blizzard announced they would be closing down the auction house for Diablo III. Obviously they didn't shut it down right away since people had a chance to adapt. With this in mind today is all about the people who failed at guessing what would go wrong with Diablo III when removing the auction house.

You Failed At Predicting The Results Of Removing the Diablo III Auction House If...

• You thought it would make Reaper of Souls a Failure
• You believed loot 2.0 would never work
• You thought everyone would miss trading
• You still think trading is one of the biggest draws of Diablo
• You didn't think anyone would be able to push top end content
• You thought it would kill the community and it would be a single player only game
• You believed gold would have no use
• You thought players gear in legendaries would never be the case
• You thought 3rd party sites would return
• You believe people wouldn't be playing end game
• You thought it would be impossible to gear followers
• You believed it would cause everyone to start playing Path of Exile

And Finally

• You are still hoping the Auction House comes back

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it in some way or another, and are able to look back and see the good.

You Failed At The Diablo Auction House If...

So here we are on Fail Day and just a few hours ago the Diablo Auction houses were shutdown. Yes there will be no more selling no more bitching and no more idiotic forum posts about the Auction Houses. So in the honor of them being shutdown I give you the goodbye version of it in Fail Day.

You Failed At The Diablo Auction House If...

• You never made any money off the RMAH
• You paid more for an item then you paid for the game
• You posted gems without thinking about the cost it took to make them
• You didn't take advantage of people panicking and buying up gems
• You bought things off the RMAH when it would have been cheaper to buy gold and buy them on the Gold AH
• You used the gold dupe
• You instantly posted any legendary you found for 2,000,000,000
• For the last 3 months you have made a forum post everyday asking how you are supposed to survive without the AH
• You are wondering how you are going to pay your rent without the RMAH
• You will forget to empty your completed tab
• Any time someone has had better gear then you you labeled them a "RMAH Player"
• You have been one of those people buying whites for 30,000g the past couple weeks
• You have bought any gear since 2.0 went live

and finally

• You were one of those people who thought supply on the AH reflected drop rates.

There you have it this week's edition of Fail. The tears of the Auction Houses fill the internet today hope you enjoy them.

No More Auction House

So there was some pretty big news revealed on Wednesday. If you didn't here is the official statement from Blizzard.

When we initially designed and implemented the auction houses, the driving goal was to provide a convenient and secure system for trades. But as we've mentioned on different occasions, it became increasingly clear that despite the benefits of the AH system and the fact that many players around the world use it, it ultimately undermines Diablo's core game play: kill monsters to get cool loot. With that in mind, we want to let everyone know that we've decided to remove the gold and real-money auction house system from Diablo III.

We feel that this move along with the Loot 2.0 system being developed concurrently with Reaper of Souls™ will result in a much more rewarding game experience for our players. 
We're working out the details of how the auction house system will be shut down, but we wanted to share the news as soon as we made the decision in order to give everyone as much advance notice as possible. Please note that the shutdown will occur on March 18, 2014. We will keep everyone informed as we work through this process.

So like I said pretty massive news. I do have some concerns though. One of the reasons the auction houses were put in place was to avoid 3rd party sites from selling gear to the masses. To avoid people feeling to compete they would have to go there in an insecure manner to buy gear. Blizzard gave us the auction houses to avoid this process. I praised them for doing this. What they did wrong though was make it so playing the game at higher levels especially Inferno became about upgrading your gear through the auction house so you can actually progress in a timely manner.

This was the thing that got many people aggravated with the auction house. So when the expansion was announced along with loot 2.0 people where excited because they would actually be able to progress in a timely manner using self found gear. There would also be the option of the auction house for the best of the best, which I believe was the purpose of the auction house in the first place. Then we were dropped this bomb.

Now the problem is if everything else were to stay the same this goes back to 3rd party sites and spamming of trade channels to sell pieces of gear. To me this is back to the stone age. The 3rd party site thing is a problem. The spamming of trade channels makes the game unfun to play and is why auction houses in games at least gold ones are an option. If Blizzard where to keep this method they would be going back on everything they said before Diablo III was first released. This is why I think they are going in another direction.

I really think Blizzard is going to be scrapping trading with everything besides commodities. Gear is somehow going to be bound to the account of the players in the game when the gear dropped. This is going to allow players the option to share gear with those in the game if they so chose or they will have the option to use it for alts. I actually like this idea sure it has an MMO soulbound type feel to it, but if there isn't going to be an auction house and we are not going back to the stone age of gaming then this is the only option which makes sense.

That is at least my thoughts on it. I know we will be learning more about this whole thing in the coming months and Blizzcon and I do look forward to knowing more.

Bring In The Money

Here we are at the end of the week. Or at least the end of the week that anyone actually cares about. You know Friday? As always here in Gauss Land Friday means it is time for the Reader Post. The post of the week where you send in your submissions for a post to be featured on here. This week I went with Commiesawn take on the Auction House.

The Auction House. I know you used to live there. Your legend of Gold beyond the average players dreams is something which will never be forgotten. My story though is inspired because you were the one which got me playing the auction house in the first place. Why you ask? Well it was back when you had your Shard Empire. I was one of the people who helped you promote your shop. I thought it was amazing how one person could cause so much drama because of his ability to create a monopoly. 

One night I did the math and figured out you were making 10k+ a day just by selling these shards. Absolutely no one could do anything about it. It was masterful really. Here I was accepting your random gold to have me walk around Orgrimmar telling people about your shards. It was during that time when I actually asked you for advice on how to make gold. You did give me the tip of choosing something everyone needs. You explained how shards although hard to control because of volume was a prime example. You told me to start small and build reserves of gold.

You suggested things like bags, and I totally ignored everything else you said just because you said bags first. I did just that and started small and worked my way up in type. Now I was not making nearly the amount you were but withing a couple weeks I had my flying mount at 280%. I kept up with it and started flowing in gold just like you said. I soon got to the point where gold didn't matter anymore because I had so much of it.

So what can I say. You gave me the inspiration and the guidance to create my own gold empire. Now obviously it wasn't your shard empire, but it was something I was proud of and it really came from nothing. So I just wanted to say thanks, and come back and trade me so I can see how much gold you actually have.

Thanks Commiesawn for the nice words. It is true though just find something which everyone needs and you will have no problem selling it. You don't have to control a market you just have to understand how they work. Enjoy your weekend everyone and don't forget to see what Safiree has to say tomorrow

You Fail At Overreacting At Something Going Into Another Game If...

Happy Fail Day everyone! You know the day where it is time to feel better about yourself, because someone else is doing or has done something to make you look amazing. I know it is like the very culture of humanity to celebrate such things, which is why I believe Fail Day is such a success. Today my topic is an interesting one because it has to do with something that was announced is going to be in Diablo III. That being having an auction house that you can buy things with real money. Ah yes, so now everyone thinks that this would instantly be put into WoW. There you have it instant topic! So here goes

You Fail At Overreacting At Something Going Into Another Game If...

• You think this would some how be a bad idea
• You believe the gold spam and farmers are a great part of the community
• You don't think people spend real money on the game anyway
• You think Blizzard is only in it for the money
• You don't see this as an easy way to make a quick buck off of idiots and morons
• You think buying things off the auction house in WoW would actually give you an advantage over people
• You believe this is more about spending money then making it
• You have no economic insight or background
• You believe such an implementation would be bad for the in game economy
• You believe this will increase the number of gold farmers
• You pull out the "I already pay a subscription" line anytime real money is mentioned
• You say you will quit the game if this is put in and you actually think people will care
• You don't think your mom will increase your allowance so you can buy the newest "of the whale" gear
• You believe you have to take part in it

and finally

• You think just because something is in one of Blizzard's games it is going to be in another

There you have it this week's edition of fail. Hope you all enjoyed it, and are done going nuts about it. Good luck this reset in whatever your plans are.

How To Win At The Auction House

As anyone who knows me I love to make gold any way I can with the auction house. I have controled markets publicly and made a killing. I have done it privately and received threatening in game mails on my auction alt. I have participated in the fun of the bullets and arrows fun that was posting in stacks of 100 rather than 1000s. I have found markets that work and ways to keep them working. So when WoWCrendor came out with his new video about How to win at the auction house I interested what path he would take. I always have enjoyed his how to videos with "Billy". Why you ask? Because they poke fun and are always about things that everyone can relate to. This is what makes a great WoW video. If you have never watched any WoWCrendor videos you are really missing out, and if you have I think many you would understand when people say I am the "Go Guy". So instead of me going on and on here is the video.



Hope you enjoyed it. If you have watched a WoW video you think everyone would be entertained by feel free to send it my way. Everyone needs a laugh or a little information. Enjoy your last day before reset.

Ask Gauss

Happy Sunday everyone, the first Sunday of the fall season. Makes me feel like I should take a Sunday drive and take a look at all the leaves outside. Although since it is pouring outside that is probably not the best idea. Anyways, with it being Sunday that means it is time for Ask Gauss. The time of the week where I go through and answer some questions that have come my way for the week. So here goes.

With Wrath coming to an end, when is it a good time to dump everything on the Auction House?

Well I completely agree with Macro over at Just My Two Copper who says now is not the time. There are many people dumping everything they have on the AH because they don't want to be stuck with it. You can make great profits by buying a lot of these things up and can also make a lot of gold because people have stop posting things on the auction house in general. So this is a great time to take advantage of this. One thing to note is that certain items have been past expiry for awhile. Depending on the server, but I would think on most, ICC BoE epics have dropped like a rock in price. Either people have them , don't need them, or the gold is better spent somewhere else at the moment.

Also note that some items will have a higher value when the expansion actually hits so purging supply of them wouldn't be the best option. Remember leveling mats used for professions have a large value the first month or so of an expansion. Why? Because people switch professions constantly or are leveling them like mad in order to have toons with all required professions. Not to mention the inscription craze that will happen when 4.0 hits. There will be an insane amount of gold to be made when all those glyphs become available. So resist the urge for the time being it will be worth it in the end.

Your thoughts on the Worgen "mount"?

Well I played original WoW beta. I know it is hard to believe I actually got into that one. At that time Tauren had Plainstriding. I thought it was rather amusing, but the talk was that it was going to be hard to balance, which is weird because of cast times. Logically it makes sense for Worgens to be able to run as a wolf, but to me that is not the real reason they have this as their "mount". If they had a race mount what would it be? Horse is taken they can't really replicate that would be unfair. You could argue a Mastief, but then it doesn't really fit well at all. So really this came down to a choice of their being no real choice. What sucks though is that the other Alliance races don't get a chance to gain this mount as the Horde will with Goblins. This also makes me think there will not be an increase on the 100 mount achievement, since it would be unfair comparing available mounts to the Horde and Alliance.

What do you think about the constant Ret Pally complaining going on about them being underpowered for 4.0 and the expansion?

Don't ret pallies always complaing they are underpowered? Honestly I would be more concerned if no pally was complaining.

That is it for this week. As always if you want your question answered, it cannot be done if I don't get it. Next week's Reader Post will be about the best stories you have for people complaining about loot. You will have till Thursday night to get those submissions in. I just have a feeling it will be quite an amusing post.

Enjoy your Sunday and your slaying of internet pixels.

Ask Gauss

So it is Sunday afternoon and pouring rain outside. Why does it always seem to rain when I plan to be doing something outside? But alas, this means I come inside early and post this earlier than expected. Sunday as most if not all of you know is Ask Gauss. This is where I go through everything I have been asked for the week and post a reply for everyone to see. Time to get to it.

How do you deal with drama within your guild?

Well everyone has their own ways to deal with it, but before that you have to realize some things. There will always be people in your guild that won't get along. There will always be people that tend to hang out with some more than others. Not everyone is going to like the same things and mesh with other personalities. Knowing that it is important not to let drama build up. If it is a raiding guild understand that tempers will flare if you have not so good nights or the raid just has an off type night. On these nights you have to try and keep a level head and keep things smooth between all the parties.

Sometimes though you cannot do anything to stop the drama and it is at those times you have to decide if it is best for the guild to part ways with some members. Remember you play this game for fun and you don't want it to be a nightmare for you when you log on.

What is your best tip for making gold?

Simple, Auctioneer. It is an addon that allows you to scan the auction house and with ease find whatever you need. For those new to it I would not recommend using the resale option. What I would suggest is using the snatch tool. What this allows you to do is set specific prices you are willing to pay for items. I use this for all professions where I can buy or bid on all the materials I need at or below a specific price. The vendor option is also a good an funny addition. Basically this will bid or buyout anything on the auction house that people have at below the price it will sell to the vendor. Yes people do that...

I used to scan the AH 5+ times a day and would make serious amounts of gold with little to no effort. Now I scan once maybe twice a day and still make at least 3,000g on a slow day and frequently see 10,000g days. Now of course I am involved in a lot of markets on the AH, but still anyone can do it. Just need about 15minutes a day.

What bothers you on vent?

Open mics

So that is it for this week. Keep sending them in and I will keep answering them. Next week's Reader's Post is going to be about your favourite WoW songs. I will probably do a top 10 and have them all post up here. So send in your votes and some reasons for it.

Enjoy what is left of your weekend!

Other Starcraft II Effects

So I am sure many of you have noticed some of these effects, which have happened since Starcraft II has come out, but I urge you all to take advantage of them because who knows how long they will last.

Wintergrasp: On Llane horde has been winning the battle at least twice as often as they have been. This is a great chance to get kills, honor, and of course VoA in. Of course on some servers the opposite might be the case for you. If that is case you have to plan out how you are going to accomplish all the tasks above with less time to do so.

Battlegrounds: I haven't gone in to test it, but a lot of the standard players will not be there meaning the frustration level may be higher than normal.

Gems: The supply has stayed the same, but the price has gone up by a significant amount. This is probably do to the fact that the gem sellers don't have the competition of the random undercuts and still have the supply to deal with the current market demand.

Enchanting Mats: Prices have gone up, but supply has gone down by a large amount. With less people on WoW the huge influx of enchanting mats is seen through not as many randoms being run. I urge anyone to take advantage of this as you can sell these mats for, at times, triple the current worth. I have a feeling this weekend a couple could even get to 4 to 5 times the normal price, most likely dream shards.

Saronites: Price has gone up by a large margin, but keep in mind the demand is much less. So don't use all your frost badges expecting to make a huge profit because you might be stuck with them since not enough people will actually want them.

Others AH Items: There are many other things that supply and demand is off for at the moment so take a look through the AH and see what is going on. Keep in mind also when you post things the buyer base is not going to be as high so over posting is going to cost you a lot more.

Leveling Professions: Horrible time to do so. Mats are overpriced and not being farmed as much as they normally are. This means the time invested and gold invested is going to make it not worth the hassle.

For The Horde: Gauss won't be running this on the weekend because of the lack of people and maybe more so because I will be playing Starcraft II.

So those are just some things to keep in mind and take advantage of if you can. Things won't get back to exactly how they were obviously, but the longer Starcraft II is out the less of an impact things like this will have.

Ask Gauss

It's that time of the week again and what a crazy week it has been. There was the new xpac updates with just minor tweaks to the stuff we heard at Blizcon, there was the buff being added, raiding, loot issues from me missing part of a raid, exploring random places, and of course last night probably offending every possible person I could in trade chat. Off to the questions!

So with the introduction of the raid buff in ICC what are your thoughts on it?

The buff itself will allow people from a variety of guilds or pugs for that matter to see the content of the game. I believe Blizzard is doing this instead of doing the straight HP and Damage nerfs they did at the end of BC so that everyone could see those bosses and that content. This way it gives people the option of doing it the normal way or using the buff to help them along. This way they make both groups happy and Blizzard achieves the goal of letting everyone see the normal content while making the top tier of people work at the hardmodes. Sure there is talk about getting achievements when you don't do encounters with the buff, and there is arguments for it. As well there is arguments that certain encounters can't be done without some sort of buff, but I am sure we will see. Remember there was a time when 0 keeper Yogg was said to be impossible.

Have you heard about the AH being available on Armory, and if so what do you think about it?

Yes, I have heard about it and I like the idea. Now the specifics are not out there and it has just been a lot of talk. Some of that being that you post and purchase, but only being able to post things that are currently in your bags, but not anything in your mailbox or bank. Purchasing of course there would be no limits besides the gold you currently have. What I like about this is it basically destroys the Tuesday markup which happens every week. Now yes I make a lot of gold this way, but it is also bothersome at how you have to time your auctions correctly to make it work. Anyone who plays the AH knows it takes up to 2 days for prices to reset to normal levels all the way around. I know it will make it more of a challenge in the gold making department, but also I think it will make it better since not having to deal with Tuesdays as they are to as much of an extent.

I heard you leveled a Pally?

I also saw pigs fly yesterday.

That is it for this week be sure to keep sending in the questions. Next Friday's Readers Post is going to be about that special raider. If you have ever raided with a guild you know who I am talking about so send along your stories so everyone else can enjoy in the fun.